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Adult Cave! (but not in a creepy way) 13x16x7.5 ~1800 cubic feet

57K views 563 replies 49 participants last post by  Stephen Cagle 
#1 · (Edited)
Like many, long term lurker, but made a new account given I’ll be talking about the privacy of my home.

When I clarify it is not a “man cave” but rather “adult cave,” the reactions have been creepy enough that I’ve become fond of the term.

The basement is now dug-down so I can stand up even AFTER I soundproof the ceiling. Now that the masons are done, it’s GO TIME!




The room:
16x13x7.5, with a tiny alcove off to the side for a murphy bed:



Needs:
- projector
- multi-purpose: video games, movies, TV, music
- sound-proofing
- some display cabinets for nerdy stuff i cant bring upstairs
- hi-res audio
- dual subs strongly preferred
- seating for 6
- in-ceiling atmos
- 5.2.4 atmos (preferred 7.2.4)

Wants:
- acoustic panels doubling as fabric-printed movie posters and album art
- more money spent on items that age well (amplifiers, speakers)
- motorized AT screen if I cant find a projector that will handle games
- 4K UHD-“ish” projector
- in-wall surround speakers
- 2 rows with a riser for second row


(pardon i couldn’t find a better screen)

The gear (not wedded to anything)

Speakers:
- considering Chane a2.4’s for LCR for performance/cost ratio
- considered Sierra-2’s as well
- inexpensive Micca-8’s for ceiling atmos
- unclear on surrounds (big bonus if they are architectural and don’t need elaborate backer boxes to preserve the soundproofing

Subs:
- 2x Rhytmik vs HSU vs SVS, very interested in people’s thoughts here

AV:
- sigh, I really want to have my own amps for mo great reason other than I’ve always wanted them
- considering Monoprice vs Outlaw vs Emotiva, 3 big channels for LCR, smallsr for the rest
- flirting with Marantz 880$ pre-amp
- would consider a good old AV receiver

Components:
- investigating hires audio sources based on the DAC of whatever i go with

Looking forward to a regularly maintained, pic-heavy WIP.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
My first question to anybody kind enough to comment:

Am I on crack for wanting to sit 9’ away from a 2.35:1 120” diag screen?



I am JUST beginning to tread into the 2.35:1 vs 16:9 and CIH debates.

I prefer vertical side-bars to letterbox bars, hence interest in 2.35.

A 120” 2.35:1 has a similar height as a 100” 16:9.



(Please be gentle, I PROMISE i am reading up on this :)
 
#17 ·
My first question to anybody kind enough to comment:
Am I on crack for wanting to sit 9’ away from a 2.35:1 120” diag screen?

I am JUST beginning to tread into the 2.35:1 vs 16:9 and CIH debates.
I prefer vertical side-bars to letterbox bars, hence interest in 2.35.
A 120” 2.35:1 has a similar height as a 100” 16:9.
I kind of think why not simplistic masking and a 120" wide 16x9 screen? That might be one pro (versus) con bullet point
if you can get by with 3-4 seats, in a single row. Same lumens per square inch of screen for 16x9 and scope. Bigger sports
content and hdtv show content, and my large media collection is kind of skewed 50/50. Now that is counter to most people's
expectations, but it also my view that most people stuff a room too full, and kind of ignore the con side of things.

Now that larger 16x9mscreen doesn't work with a low ceiling and 2nd row sightlines, but it does allow your main viewing row (or
single row) to be further off of the AT screen, and allow for improved audio. So that second row, if it's not used all the time, actually is
costing you elsewhere.
 
#3 ·
I sit about 10 feet back from a 110" screen and it doesn't feel all that close, so 9 feet back from a 120" for front row should be no problem.


What is your budget? Rough estimates on how much you want to spend overall and/or on each component would be recommended, so people know what products might be the best fit in terms of price/performance.


I have an Optoma UHD60 4k projector and I think it's a great value (as well as the UHD65). The new Benq HT3550 is getting a lot of attention, so that would be another to check into.


I have about 150 4k movies, and only about 10 of them are in a different format than 2.40:1. However, I went with a 16x9 screen and added manual masking in case I want to watch a full 1.85:1 movie like Pacific Rim, or watch TV on the big screen.


The amp I went with is the Outlaw Model 5000, but there are quite a few good choices out there.


For subs, I would look at the Monoprice Monoliths as well as the SVS, HSU, Rhytmik subs.


Receivers, I would look at Denon and Marantz, as well as Yamaha. I have the Denon x4400h and think it's a great value for the features/performance.


Speakers look good. A lot of love for the Chanes on this forum.
 
#7 ·
I sit about 10 feet back from a 110" screen and it doesn't feel all that close, so 9 feet back from a 120" for front row should be no problem.

Awesome- this is consistent with a “share your viewing angle” (or something like that) thread I found yesterday.

What is your budget? Rough estimates on how much you want to spend overall and/or on each component would be recommended, so people know what products might be the best fit in terms of price/performance.
This is a question I always struggle with. If money spent mitigates obsolescence and gains are not diminishing THAT much, I can go to $20k for the entire AV project. That said, I would rather spend less.

Money I would otherwise have spent on speakers (before I really started reading these boards) appears to be best diverted to amp/avr/video gear.


I have an Optoma UHD60 4k projector and I think it's a great value (as well as the UHD65). The new Benq HT3550 is getting a lot of attention, so that would be another to check into.
Cool, both of these made it on to my short list already and you are reaffirming my initial research!

I have about 150 4k movies, and only about 10 of them are in a different format than 2.40:1. However, I went with a 16x9 screen and added manual masking in case I want to watch a full 1.85:1 movie like Pacific Rim, or watch TV on the big screen.
Good to know. I am pulling my hair out over screen format decisions. To be continued...

The amp I went with is the Outlaw Model 5000, but there are quite a few good choices out there.


For subs, I would look at the Monoprice Monoliths as well as the SVS, HSU, Rhytmik subs.


Receivers, I would look at Denon and Marantz, as well as Yamaha. I have the Denon x4400h and think it's a great value for the features/performance.


Speakers look good. A lot of love for the Chanes on this forum.
This, again, is super helpful and it reaffirms my initial reading on this board. I ALMOST jumped on the Monoprice sale yesterday. To be continued on subwoofer config for chane LCR.

To be clear- You use an outboard amp with your Denon X4400h?

THANK YOU for the thoughtful tips!
 
#8 ·
Of course not- I failed to clarify! I am struggling with whether or not to have a TV on the wall for gaming, or for situations where a projector may be less conducive to a group hanging out. In that regards, the build straddles a “media room” entry, but it’s primary purpose by a large margin is movies and Netflix series.

In a follow up post, I’ll get into my analysis of my perceived trade-offs (for my use case) of motorized v fixed, AT v non AT, and implications on the masking options.

Thanks for pointing out I missed this.
 
#9 ·
What's the narrow space, in the back for? Plumbing runs?

Yes, plumbing, gas, and a sump pump. No wall is up yet, but it looks pretty necessary. I’ll likely throw a Murphy bed in there as well.

2 rows in 16' 6' makes me wonder if one row of seating might be enough?
Another great question. I may be trying to do to much here, but I don’t think I have the width/ FOV depth to do 6-across, even if I put the screen on the West wall.

Thanks!
 
#6 ·
Why not a 120" wide 16x9 screen, and a single upper sliding masking panel, with sources that can tie the video to the bottom of the screen?
Scope would be the same width, but 16x9 is bigger.

I like in wall speakers for ATMOS and surrounds, for this sort of room size. Maybe Big's RSL speakers he likes? I picked up a used but mint, 8 channel
NuForce MCA18 as a small rack mount 2U amplifier for my ATMOS and surround speakers.
 
#10 ·
Why not a 120" wide 16x9 screen, and a single upper sliding masking panel, with sources that can tie the video to the bottom of the screen?

Scope would be the same width, but 16x9 is bigger.
Nice- I guess some projectors can store this fairly easily?
While I’m a little in the weeds in reading about image ratios and flexibility, sliding masks look MORE expensive than many screens.
I may not gave mentioned the drawing takes into account a motorized screen, but i am not (ahem) “fixed” on this (boooos to pun).


I like in wall speakers for ATMOS and surrounds, for this sort of room size. Maybe Big's RSL speakers he likes? I picked up a used but mint, 8 channel

NuForce MCA18 as a small rack mount 2U amplifier for my ATMOS and surround speakers.

I was just looking at RSL, main concern fo me was backer boxes that can fit between the joists.

Tell me more: how much power you sending to surround/heights compared to LCR?

This is ANOTHER follow-up post I need to assess, thank you!
 
#12 ·
An upper masking panel could be as simple as a single velvet covered board that simply flips up and down. 16x9 and scope. Cheap and very low tech.

I have 8 channels of 50W for surrounds. The front three channels are 240W mono Bryston amps per speaker, and the subs are 400W per sub.
Not a great comparative factor because that is simply a system built for a future larger room, which will add substantially more volume then I
have now, but not really add much throw distance for the ATMOS and surround speakers. I am not really sure that counts for much because my system is
built to be dynamic, and capable enough to port over to a room with much more volume. For the current space, it might look like a waste of money, but I don't
have anywhere the dollars invested, that one would think.

One benefit of a single seating row theater, is the projector can end up buried in the back wall, in a hush box. I kind of think of that back wall as maybe
being a nice smooth looking acoustically transparent wall of fabric, but also hides all back there.

Sliding masking systems can be costly, but I have mine came from eBay on the cheap. Years ago, I scored a new old stock horizontal 4:3 72x96" masking
system, for $202.50, plus $100 shipping. I was thinking the Somfy motor was worth more then that. Well it turned out to be two cuts with a $10-15 Harbor
Freight angle grinder to make two cuts and I was looking at a 54x96" 16x9 bargain masking system. That system also has me thinking next room, maybe a I
lace in some SeymourAV XD fabric via the O ring and grommet lacing method, and create my screen borders via velvet covered boards, secured from behind.
The upper edge will be the masking, and I will simply reuse the current Somfy motor. I am thinking so roller bearings in some aluminum track, at the ends of
the room, to guide the masking panel. I doubt I will have $1K invested in it all, for the entire screen wall/screen/masking.
 
#15 · (Edited)
An upper masking panel could be as simple as a single velvet covered board that simply flips up and down. 16x9 and scope. Cheap and very low tech.
I like this idea, if I follow. So I use a 16:9 screen, and for movies in scope, i lower the projected image down and mask the top?

I have 8 channels of 50W for surrounds. The front three channels are 240W mono Bryston amps per speaker, and the subs are 400W per sub.
This is one of the ideas I was toying with! I don’t think i need (or necessarily should) send over 150W independently to each surround and atmos. It is also way more cost-effective.


One benefit of a single seating row theater, is the projector can end up buried in the back wall, in a hush box. I kind of think of that back wall as maybe being a nice smooth looking acoustically transparent wall of fabric, but also hides all back there.
Hush box- new vocab word, i like. The room will double as a space with cabinets for my nerdy pursuits. The cabinet faces will be glass, but I plan to have HEAVY drapes that can cover the glass during serious listening.


The upper edge will be the masking, and I will simply reuse the current Somfy motor.
Somfy is good and I’ve always wanted to get one of their products.
 
#13 ·
Is 6 seats what you are going to fill with butts, on an almost constant basis? Maybe one answer is to simply bring in some flex seating...
a friend used some IKEA Poangs in this manner, or maybe if it's kids, some bean bag chairs would appeal to them?

Commercial rocker seats, which can be narrow at 22-24" per seat, but you ideally don't want seating too close to the side wall, and never
close to a surround speaker. One advantage of maybe 2 rows of commercial rocker style seats, would be a low riser, could hide the sump pump,
while getting you a nice tight seating foot print. I've also used some condo sized seats for a smaller space.

I've fought with a smaller space for decades, and after going AT, I kind of started embracing the space. I really like this sort of space along the lines of
this WaterFall Audio room. That room could be a pretty impressive lower budget DIY space. Black speaker grill fabric walls, a few pieces of wood, and
a DIY AT screen. Slap your own look on it, but the formula is right there, with what could be an interesting match of high and low. The third picture is
a more media room hybrid, but the formula is much the same.
 

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#16 ·
It's a smallish space and why does one need so much wattage, when the surround and overhead channels' throw distance isn't large?

I guess overkill is fine, if the budget is large, but I look at it as maybe a cheaper small amp is simply money for something else?
(Like more hard drives, for my media server. :) )

I'm not sure how much those heavy drapes are going to help. You might suck the high frequency out of the room, and still have
something reflective to the midrange.
 
#19 ·
Maybe... but what's most important to you, the extra seats or the idea of less, potentially being more ultimately, in a smaller space?

You can have a substantial room in that space, but you might not be able to fit all of a want list in, and do it really well.

And if you don't have your gear, maybe one plan versus the other, means there are better choices to be made?
 
#21 · (Edited)


I think I was trying to do too much with two rows, a motorized projector screen, and a TV.

The latest option has the following approach:
- Seatcraft Monaco, 4 chairs, 2 in loveseat form (width = 10.5’)
- bar with stools behind seats
- 120” diag 2.35:1 AT screen
- 10’ to MLP (2.5 screen height)
- 50 degree viewing angle on 2.35 images
- allows for better 5.2.4 speaker distances than 7.2.4

Pros:
- Not too close to screen
- Can hide stuff behind false wall of AT screen
- Bar stool spectators explicitly will not be in seats tuned for performance

Cons:
- Wide seating is tight, and the person on the wall will be screwed
- Still a little tight but workable
- Will lose some brightness with an AT screen

Q: Thoughts?
Q: Why do all the fixed screen theaters seem to have a little riser in front of the screen?
 
#22 ·
It's called a stage and it's kind of a "fixture" of the North American home theater look, along with a riser, and columns and wainscoting.

But those could also all be scrubbed from a room... I personally do not have a stage in front of the acoustically transparent wall. That was a bit of
a hedge bet because I suspected it wouldn't look good, with the 80" high soffit above. I do have a sand filled stage in behind. Turns out I rather prefer
this look, in a smaller space. One of several compromises I thought I was taking, that in retrospect, ended up as but one of a whole line of restraint
often turning into other opportunities.

Why do you prefer a 120" diagonal scope screen when you could have a 120" wide 16x9 screen? Is there to be an anamorphic lens involved here.
If maybe one unwraps their head around a wider image where you are giving up brightness (, because you aren't using the full panel of a 16x9
projector), then maybe larger 16x9 content maybe makes some sense?

You do have a healthy budget. And one that could be halved and still hit a high value note and still offer a high level of performance.

So what's the cooling of the room to be, with those eight bodies, and gear generating all that heat?

BTW, is that interior wall wood framed?
 
#23 · (Edited)
Why do you prefer a 120" diagonal scope screen when you could have a 120" wide 16x9 screen? Is there to be an anamorphic lens involved here.

If maybe one unwraps their head around a wider image where you are giving up brightness (, because you aren't using the full panel of a 16x9 projector), then maybe larger 16x9 content maybe makes some sense?
The limiting factor for me is having a screen that’s too big/ too close...

The 120” scope screen allows super wide movies using zoom (I know i know, it’s a hot topic) and reasonable sized shows/games in 16:9

Whereas...

A comparable width 16:9 screen would be great for scope movies but just too big for regular viewing.

I think?

Theoretically?

In my mind’s eye?

I checked a 120” scope screen at Best Buy yesterday, and I was pleased:



You do have a healthy budget. And one that could be halved and still hit a high value note and still offer a high level of performance.
This is something I’ve been making in my mind for 28 years, with minimal related purchases along the way. Heck, I still use my Cambridge Soundworks surround system from 1996!


So what's the cooling of the room to be, with those eight bodies, and gear generating all that heat?
Ductless minisplit- I don’t wanna mess with the main HVAC ducts for isolation reasons.


BTW, is that interior wall wood framed?
The current interior wall is wood framed, but the new interior wall will likely be aluminum.

Thanks Tedd, you are super helpful, and I your posts in other threads similarly helpful!
 
#24 ·
The look is nice, but I see a pretty big con list to that room.

Why is the screen mounted so high? Why all the reflective glass up front, when ideally you want some absorption up front.
Now I know that is being marketed as a living room but the white soffit might be an issue, depending on the screen itself.
Those large white glass sconces might be an issue lighting up, and they are reflective audio-wise too. So that room actually
might be a bunch of choices that maybe you make, or rather don't want to make, if performance is of importance.

That glass topped table is yet another highly reflective surface, so is yet another thing to consider.

Is all of the basement underpinned? I am curious about what's beyond the stair wall, and if maybe the guest bed could be rotated, and some
cabinets accommodated outside the room? I wonder about maybe a partial baffle wall, that might hide all the plumbing and have a removable
section for access to the gas meter, and the screen could simply be cleat mounted. The sump pump could be hidden by a low stage if needed.

It doesn't get you the extra seats, at the price of substantially better audio.
 

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#25 ·
I was thinking about the same Tedd.

Reverse the room.

A 130-inch screen. With the bigger screen, the seats can go back up against that wall in your sketch.

You can then fit 5 seats. Possibly 1 single in the middle & 2 "Love seats" either side.

Cheers, down under Steve
 
#26 · (Edited)
A ha! So I can combine the benefits of an AT screen and baffle wall with the necessity to access utility stuff!

This is good.

Btw- yeah, the screen at Best Buy was entirely too high- i just includes it for a size reference.

Edit: Also, to clarify Tedd, the basement is only dug down and underpinned in the area of the rectangular-theater-area and the area where the murphy bed is depicted; the landing at the bottom of the stairs is not.
 
#27 ·
It's more reverse the room, move the door to get a reflective side wall (important for spatial clues) and
rotate the guest bed option and move the display cabinets to either side of it. And surrender some seat count.

And it's more work on the front, and use some good in wall speakers, in a partial baffle wall.

The negatives there, pay out with a larger screen and much better audio, and a "calmer" room that hides much of the tech.
with less going on visually, the space will feel larger. The room also wouldn't visually suffer that bite out of it either.
 
#28 ·
So the side entry wall is a no go, with the elevations. Is there a step or two down, beyond the stair landing. I expect a step up for two to the other side.

So what is the use of the other side of the basement? Would it be possible to fit in a mattress or even an air mattress by opening up a wee bit more of that area?
That lower area could function as a lobby yet be a guest bed area that might be accommodated by a platform with the bed height at the old floor level. I know that's a bit
of thinking way outside the box, but I have a small house too, and it's amazing what a few shifts of existing walls can provide. You'd need some sort of removeable rail so no
one could step off the original floor height and fall to the benched level.

Another creative thought is could a bed be slide in and out, of that side area? So I am curious as to what all curious as to what all is outside of that area, and is there any
potential to maybe have "more" from the underpinning, then what a 2D diagram reveals?

One idea I like is the front shadow box of this JBK demo room. Note the door up front by the shinny handle. (Now think black door hardware.). The window opposite could be
a black fabric panel, and a top section could flip open to reveal the window. I'm not a fan of the stepped fabric design, but a nice vertical separation might marry a less hard core
back of the room with a front of the room designed to hide "stuff" and absorb light coming off a woven AT screen.

I do find this space rather interesting as it does have some challenges, all of which I think can be overcome, and you could have a very high performance 5.1.4 room.
 

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#30 ·
If only!

First, many thanks. Now I’ll try to respond to your questions...

The space is non-negotiable. Heck, getting the washer-dryer out of the space was very challenging.

The bed is mandatory, though my wife flipped at the idea of a door opening to a murphy bed, and she is pushing for a door on the East wall. She kept saying the door opening to the bed was “bad design,” and she was not so sympathetic to theater design involving trigonometry and resonance concerns.

I plan to line the walls with diy AT posters printed on acoustic absorption material. Not sure if this affects the door decision.
 
#31 ·
Crazy question time- I like 5.1.4, and i like the idea of having rear speakers toed in, and I like the in-wall idea. So the crazy idea- putting in-wall surrounds in cabinets IN THE MIDDLE of bass traps in the NE and NW corners? Might kill multiple birds with one stone.

Alternately, might it make sense to angle the corners and to put in walls in the actual walls?
 
#32 ·
Can't say I would be all that keen on a door opening to the folded out bed either. It is indeed bad design. (Unless the intention is to limit overnight guests... ;) )

I also wonder exactly what's outside the foot print shown, and how tall that benching is, and whether the laundry could use sit on the old floor and present as elevated?
And how that works control-wise. Why do laundry where there's no height when you think about maybe a "storage room" at the 6'-ish height could host an inflatable bed
without being rigidly boxed in by walls? Now that wouldn't exactly be to code, but maybe you could capture a window in that space also?

I would be after the best, for my money, that is possible. The biggest space that feels the most open, excellent audio, a better laundry experience, and the most affordable finished
square footage.

I wouldn't go nuts with the sound system. I would be looking to hide all the speakers, and even have a room where it could be multifunctional. When not used to watch movies,
I'd think about a couple of chairs up by the screen, and maybe have a moveable table in the room. I'd be more aiming for a flexible space.


Do you actually need to angle speakers, if they have good off axis performance? I'd be looking to not carving off any extra square footage then absolutely possible, and only for really good reasons.
 

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#34 ·
@Tedd, I’m gonna take pics of the walls and post the full floor plan as I’m doing a bad job conveying the limitations- but in brief the room where you suggested the bed goes is FULL of my wife’s design stuff in boxes, and the room where you suggested the washer/dryer go is the utility room which is pretty tight. Also, neither are underpinned, nor is tge landing at the bottom of the stairs.

All super helpful though. After some discussion with wife and viewing a lot of WIP’s for small rooms, I am strongly leaning to two rows of 3 seats if possible, even if the second row gets a limited atmos/surround experience. Stand by for my latest drawing.
 
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